Motorhome dimensions for navigation: the 6 numbers that matter (2026)
Six dimensions decide a European motorhome trip: height, width, length, weight, axles, and combined-with-caravan total. Height and weight do the heavy lifting — they decide which tunnels block you (Vieux-Port 3.20 m, A86 Duplex 2.00 m ban, Rouen N338 2.60 m), what toll class you pay in France, Italy, Croatia, Slovenia, and Austria, and which permits you need to order before you leave. The interactive rig profile below takes these six numbers and tells you which European routes fit your motorhome.
Most rigs go wrong on dimensions twice: once at the dealership ("how big is too big?") and once at the first European border ("which class am I paying?"). The dealership answer is broadly cultural — anything coach-built between 2.8 m and 3.2 m is normal. The class answer is specific and country-by-country. Both come down to six numbers on the V5C plus what you bolt on the roof.
- The six numbers that matter
- Height (including roof additions), width (cab mirror to mirror), length (front bumper to rear), weight (PTAC / MAM on the registration), axles (2, 3, or 4+), and combined weight with caravan if towing. Five of the six come from the V5C; height needs adjustment for roof additions + a 10 cm safety margin.
- Height is the most expensive number to get wrong
- France ≥3 m flips you from Class 2 to Class 3 (~50 % more on péages). Italy ≥1.30 m at front axle flips you to Class B. Croatia >1.90 m flips you to Class II. Slovenia >1.30 m at front axle flips you to Klasse 2B. And three specific tunnels (Paris A86 Duplex 2.00 m ban, Rouen N338 2.60 m, Marseille Vieux-Port 3.20 m) will physically stop the wrong height.
- 3.5 tonnes is the universal cliff
- Above 3.5 t the vignette systems (Austria, Slovenia, Switzerland, Czech, Hungary, Slovakia) hand you off to kilometre-based truck tolls (GO-Maut, DarsGo, LSVA, MYTO CZ). France péage adds a Class 3 surcharge. The cliff is the same; the system on each side of it is different. Combined weight with caravan counts.
- Switzerland's caravan rule is unique in Europe
- Towing a caravan into Switzerland requires a SECOND vignette (CHF 40) on the trailer itself, on top of the tractor vignette. No other European country has this rule. The rig profile widget below flags it automatically when you select the caravan input.
Why six numbers, not three
Older motorhome guides ask for three dimensions: height, width, length. That's enough for a height-stick at the bridge, but it isn't enough for the toll booth or the vignette system. The other three (weight, axles, combined-with-caravan) are what classify the rig once you start paying for European motorways.
Height + width + length come from the V5C and the tape measure. Weight is the PTAC (or MAM in the UK), which is the maximum mass the vehicle is permitted to weigh — also on the V5C. Axles are how many sets of wheels the rig has on the road, which usually matches the registration but flips to 3+ once you tow a single-axle caravan with a hitch above the rear bumper. Combined weight is tractor PTAC plus caravan MAM — that's the number the Austrian GO-Maut threshold reads.
Get all six right once. Save them on a card in the glove box. The European trip becomes 90 % easier the moment you stop guessing.
Build your rig profile — interactive
Enter the six numbers and you'll get back a fit/no-fit check against the high-risk European tunnels and bridges, a per-country toll class, and a list of permits and warnings specific to your rig. The widget runs entirely in your browser — no signup, no spam, no email required to see the result.
Build your rig profile
Enter your motorhome's dimensions and we'll show which European tunnels and bridges block you, what toll class you pay in each country, and which permits to order before you leave.
Your rig profile
Tunnels and bridges to plan around
Your toll class per country
| Country | Your class |
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Permits and warnings
The thresholds across Europe
The reason six numbers matter is that each European country sets its thresholds in a different place. Here's the same rig at the same dimensions, classed by country:
- France péage: Class 2 if height < 3 m AND weight ≤ 3.5 t AND ≤ 2 axles. Class 3 if any of those tip over. Class 4 for 4+ axles above 3.5 t. Source: ASFA + Sanef.
- Italy autostrade: Class A if front-axle height < 1.30 m AND ≤ 3.5 t. Class B if front-axle height ≥ 1.30 m AND ≤ 3.5 t (almost all motorhomes). Class 3+ above 3.5 t depending on axles.
- Croatia HAC: Class I if overall height ≤ 1.90 m AND ≤ 3.5 t. Class II if > 1.90 m AND ≤ 3.5 t. Class IIIa/IIIb above 3.5 t (2–3 axles); Class IV/V (4+ axles). Source: hac.hr.
- Slovenia e-vignette: Klasse 2A if front-axle height ≤ 1.30 m AND ≤ 3.5 t. Klasse 2B if > 1.30 m (most motorhomes). DarsGo above 3.5 t. Source: evinjeta.dars.si.
- Austria: vignette below 3.5 t (combined with caravan); GO-Maut with GO-Box above. Sektionsmaut on Brenner, Tauern, Pyhrn, Arlberg, Karawanken charged separately.
- Switzerland: vignette CHF 40 annual below 3.5 t; LSVA per-km above. Towing a caravan requires a second CHF 40 vignette on the trailer.
- Germany: mautfrei (no motorway toll) below 7.5 t. LKW-Maut via Toll Collect above. Warnow + Herrentunnel are local exceptions.
The rig profile widget above maps your inputs to each of these in a single table. It's the dashboard answer to "what does my rig pay everywhere?"
How to measure each one
Three of the six come straight off the V5C; two more need a tape; the sixth is arithmetic.
- Height (from V5C + additions + margin): bare-vehicle height + A/C unit (18–22 cm typical) + satellite dish (8–15 cm) + solar panels (5–10 cm) + roof rack/bars + 10 cm safety margin. A 2.95 m factory rig with a 20 cm A/C and 8 cm solar panels is a 3.23 m vehicle for routing purposes (and a 3.33 m vehicle once you add the 10 cm margin).
- Width (cab-mirror to cab-mirror): with the mirrors fully extended. Not the body width — the mirrors are what hit obstacles in tight streets. Add an extra centimetre or two if you have mirror extensions for towing.
- Length (front bumper to rear): measure to the rear-most projecting point. If you fit a bike rack or a tow ball, add the projection. For autoroute Class 3 in France the per-axle threshold is what matters, not length specifically; length matters more for aire restrictions and short ferry slots.
- Weight (from V5C): the PTAC (Poids Total Autorisé en Charge in France) or MAM (Maximum Authorised Mass in the UK and DE). This is the maximum the rig is permitted to weigh, not what it actually weighs on the day. The class systems all read PTAC, not actual.
- Axles (count them): the most common motorhome shape is 2 axles. Heavier A-class rigs may have a tag axle (3 axles). 4+ axles is almost always a US-style RV or a motorhome towing a caravan/trailer (axles count combined).
- Combined weight with caravan (arithmetic): tractor PTAC + caravan MAM. If towing a small caravan (under 1.5 t) you might stay under the 3.5 t combined threshold; a heavier caravan almost always crosses it. The widget toggles this for you.
Common dimension mistakes (in order of cost)
- Forgetting the A/C unit when entering height into a nav app. A 2.95 m factory rig is routinely entered as 2.95 m even after a 20 cm A/C unit is fitted. The bridge that the app says clears at 2.95 m has the A/C scraping at 3.15 m. This is the most common bridge strike on UK forums.
- Using "actual weight" instead of PTAC for class lookup. A 3.2-tonne PTAC rig that weighs 2.8 t empty pays Class 2 in France, not Class 1. The class system reads PTAC, not actual.
- Assuming the caravan doesn't change the class. It does — in Austria, Slovenia, Switzerland, and France (Class 3 trigger at 3+ axles).
- Assuming Italian Class A applies to motorhomes. It almost never does. The 1.30 m front-axle threshold catches all coach-built motorhomes; Class B is the motorhome standard.
- Confusing Slovenia's 1.30 m front-axle with Croatia's 1.90 m overall height. These are two different countries with two different threshold types. The widget classes both correctly.
→ Bookmark the standalone rig-profile tool
Rovee handles all six of these dimensions on the dashboard, all the time. Dimension-aware routing around the tunnels and bridges above; ZFE warnings 200–500 m before each French city; per-country toll-class prediction so the péage budget is on the dash before you start; vignette countdowns for Austria, Slovenia, and Switzerland. Closed iPhone beta now, public launch Tuesday July 7, 2026; waitlist below.
Join the waitlist for the public launch.
FAQ
Which motorhome dimensions affect European routing the most?
Height is the single most expensive number to get wrong — it decides whether your rig fits through Vieux-Port (3.20 m), the A86 Duplex (2.00 m total ban), and the Rouen N338 (2.60 m), and it sets your toll class in France (≥3 m = Class 3, ~50 % surcharge), Italy (≥1.30 m at front axle = Class B), Croatia (>1.90 m = Class II), and Slovenia (>1.30 m at front axle = Class 2B). Weight comes second — the 3.5-tonne threshold flips you out of every vignette system into kilometre-based truck tolls (Austria GO-Maut, Slovenia DarsGo, Switzerland LSVA). Width and length matter less but trip narrow-lane warnings and aire restrictions.
Where do I find my motorhome's actual height?
Start from the V5C or registration document — that's the bare-vehicle factory height. Then add everything bolted on top: A/C unit (typically 18–22 cm), satellite dish (8–15 cm), solar panels (5–10 cm), roof bars and rack (5–15 cm). A 2.95 m factory motorhome with a 20 cm A/C and 8 cm solar panels is a 3.23 m vehicle for routing purposes. Then add a 10 cm safety margin — bridges are surveyed to nominal height, and road resurfacing reduces clearance over time. Enter that final number into any dimension-aware nav app.
Why does Italy use front-axle height instead of overall height?
Italian autostrade toll gates have a single sensor mounted at the gantry that measures vehicle height as you roll in. Because the sensor reads the cab roof at the front of the vehicle (not the alkoven over the cab or the rear box), the threshold is the front-axle height, not the overall vehicle height. Most coach-built motorhomes have a cab roof at 2.0–2.2 m even when the rear box is at 2.9–3.2 m, so the front-axle reading is what gets classified. The 1.30 m threshold is low — virtually all motorhomes trip it, which is why almost everyone pays Class B.
What is the 3.5-tonne threshold actually called on each country's system?
France: Class 2 below, Class 3 at and above (plus Class 4 for 3+ axles above 3.5 t). Italy: Classes A and B both apply below 3.5 t (split by height); above 3.5 t you cross into the heavy classes. Croatia: Class I and II below (split at 1.90 m); above 3.5 t you become Class IIIa/IIIb (2–3 axles) or IV/V (4+ axles). Slovenia: Class 2A and 2B below (split at 1.30 m front-axle); above 3.5 t you leave the vignette system entirely and join DarsGo. Austria: vignette below, GO-Maut above. Switzerland: vignette below (CHF 40 annual), LSVA above. Germany: free below 7.5 t, LKW-Maut above. The number is the same; the system on each side of it is different.
Does towing a caravan change my class?
Yes — and in Switzerland it also requires a SECOND vignette (CHF 40) on the trailer itself, which is the only European country with that rule. For class purposes, several vignette systems use combined gross weight, so a 3.2-tonne tractor plus a 600 kg caravan stays in the standard tier, but a 3.2-tonne tractor plus a 1.4-tonne caravan crosses into the heavy class in Austria (GO-Maut), Slovenia (DarsGo), and Switzerland (LSVA). The rig profile widget on this page lets you toggle the caravan input and shows the combined-weight effect immediately.
When can I get Rovee?
Rovee is in closed iPhone beta in 2026, with public launch on Tuesday July 7, 2026. Founding-member access is capped at the first 1,000 members at €17.99/year locked for life as long as you stay subscribed. The app handles dimension-aware routing, ZFE warnings, vignette tracking, and toll-cost prediction across Europe — using exactly the rig dimensions this page covers. Join the waitlist below.